Starch-molding apparatus



May 3 1927.

A. L. BAUSMAN STARCH MOLDING APPARATUS Filed June 1l. 1925 -4 Sheets-Sheet l iwi/Emma. i

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ATTORNEYS.

May 3 1927. 1522138 A. L. BAUSMAN sTARcH MOLDING APPARATUS Filed June 11, 1925 Y 1 -4 sheets-sheet 2 @Sg INVENTOR.

A B 4*- W124] May 3, 1927.

A. L. BAUSMAN STARGH HOLDINGl APPARATUS Filed June 11, 1925 4 sheets-sheet 4 l INVENTOR.

Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITEDSTATES PAT ENT OFFICE ALoNzo LVINToN BAUSMAN, or srnmerrnnn' MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNoR 'ro `NA- Y TIONAL EQUIPMENT COMPANY, TION F MASSACHUSETTS.

oF SPRINGFIELD,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- STAnoH-MOLDING APPARATUS. y

Application led June 11, 1925. 'Serial No. 36,395.v

This invention relates to improvements in that class of confectionery machinery known generally as starch molding apparatus, in which candies are cast in molds f-ormed'in starch contained in atray.

Machine-s of this class are'usually vadapted to take a tray containingthe molded candies, after the same: have hardened, and empty the tray,-.deliverng theV contents to mechanism .whereby the candies and starch are separated,-and to convey the empty tray successively to ak starch filling station,4

a moldforming station and a candy filling station. They valso include means for conveying the starch from the .separating mech anism anddelivering it into the empty trays as they successively arrive at the starch filling station. This is the best form ofstarch` molding apparatus, as it covers the complete combination, but there are other forms of starch i molding apparatus, semiautomatic in operation or providing for part only kof the sequence of `operations described, with'which this invention may equally well be embodied for it is primarily concerned with the con-` ditioning of the starch used for filling the trays. if

In these machines, the same starch isused over and over again until it is no `longer` suitable. One fact-or, which eventually renders the starch unsuitable, is moisture. The

starch absorbs moisture from the air, as well.V

as from the candies cast therein and becomes wet, forming into lumps, which cannot pass y through the screen at the tray filling station and will eventually clog the latter unless removed. Moreover, the wet and heavy starch is much harder to move than when they same is in a light and dry condition, wherefore a heavy drag is created on the starch ;con veyors and elevators, not only requiring more'power but frequently, .due to lumps, causing stallingor evenbreakingof the parts. It .has been the practice to provide safety devces in the driving-connections for the starch conveyors which will disconnect the drive when the load becomes so heavy as to cause damage.V Aside from these disadvantages due to moisture-laden starch, it is imperative for certain classes of candy to have the starch not only dry but warm` and it is desirable for all classes of candy. In

marshmallow work, it is essential to quickly Y i form a so-calledskin, or dry and relatively hard outer surface which notonly prevents the starch from absorbing further moisture fr om the marshmallowbut confines the soft, sticky .substance so that itcan be subse quently handled. v

Y For marshmallow work,`it has heretofore been. proposed to heat the printer which forms; the mold depressions in the starch prior tothe casting operation. This scheme, at best, provides only for localized heating of the starch and is not effec-tive to dry all of the; starch nor` to prevent the difiiculties abovexset forth in connection with the starch conveying, elevating and filling apparatus. Neitheris it really adequately,effective` for marshmallow work for theprinter: isy de pressed into the starch only for a few seconds and there is nottime for an adequate heating of themold,walls,"much less fora drying ofthe large body of starch contained in the tray. Only the mold walls are heated andthese only to a low degree, asa conse-` quence of which the moldsy are liable to -be-v come entirely cold by the A'time they reach the depositor or mold filling station.

lThis invention has for its object to` provide means operating ,in conjunction with starch molding apparatus to keepv the starch in a light and dry condition, whereby theA above, described difficulties with conveying 1t are avoided as `well as those due to the formation of lumps 1n the starch and, by

.avoiding the formation of lumps, the same body of starch may be used over and over again for a much longer time than has heretofore been possible.

The invention also has for an object the provision yof means operating in conjunction with starch molding apparatus to not only keep the starch drybut to heatv all of thestarch prior `to its delivery to the tray, whereby the tray lis filled with a large body of starclrheated'to an adequate degree and capable of retaining its heat for a considerable length of time and atleast until the candies have been cast .in the molds therein.

. There aremany details contributing to vin the accompany-ing draw-ings, in which :-V

Fig. l is 'a diagraminatical vplan'view showing: the relative location of the various sections of a cominontype of tray emp.- Y

' tying and iilling machine andshowing Vil the location o'i'the starch'conditi'oning ap-V paratus;

Fig. 2 the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevationalv-iew ai the air conditioning apparatus taken on the line 3,.-3 of Fig. 2;v f f Figi. is atragmentary elevational view of the exterior vo'l` one` corner ofthe casing shown in Fig. 2, showing the driving con: nections; Y

Figs. 5 and 6v are. sectional elevational viewsV taken. on the lines 5-.51 and G-tof Fig. l; and Y 7' is fragmentary sectional elevational view taken von theline Z-.-7 of Fig".y 2.

YVhile. they invention may be embodied in various kinds of starch inolding'machines, as above set forth, it will be illustrated and described herein asv embodied inV a machine of .the general type disclosed in` United States Letters- Patent No. 648,353, granted April 24,1900, on an. invention of Gabriel Carlson. Machines ot thisl typerinclude a magazine, located at a (Fi-g.. 1),.to= holdia vertical stack of trays, each contain-ing a plurality ot candies, which-have previously been cast in molds torined ina body of starch and which have hardened..l Tliese trays are automatically taken from the magazine one by one and conveyed to. a tray emptying station, located at Z), where-the contents or! the tray are emptied into a reciprocating sieve c housed in a casing (Z. The empty trays are then automatically carried toa tray tilling station, located at c, where they are filled' with starchandtlience travel step by stepto a mold forming'station, located at f and` Vfinally to a candy casting station located at g, where themolds formed at station f-'are iilled with confectionery material by a socalled depositor.` f

In the screen section casing CZ, the sieve c functions to separate Vthe candies and starch and the latter falls through the sieve .upon the floor'tot' the casi-ng cl-(Fig.

Scrapers i (Fig. 5) carried: by andgbetween pairs otA conveyor chainsy` serve to carry the starch, deposited* on floorA 7L', to a central point, which is the floor le ofthe casing` Z enclosing` the tray iillinglsection` of the inachine. The casing-'Z is wide enough to encompass both the sieve ZZ and: the conveying means for the empty trays, as shown in Fig- 2. The trays m slide alonglaterally spaced and longitudinally extending runways/lb riding between side guides 0 and being moved is al cross sectional view taken on n sieve c, is picked up by buckets r, carried by between conveyor chains a, and carried oren a Vscreen t through which it. falls into the empty tray therebelow. The screen t is supported by four rods. u de ,ending from the upper wall creasing Z' anc' held thereto by nuts@ by nieaDSO .whh'the level 0i' screen t may be adjusted'.` The buckets r ride, over screen t and aid in forcing they starch therethrough,-the bucket chains 8 `ridi-ng alongk runways w carried by the starch'iialling through sieve c iscairiecl dil rectlyl to andl deposited inthe trays, with the disadvantages above set forth. In the presqk ent machine, as shown in Fig. 2, the buckets r carry thev starch to. adi-ying or heating ap.-v paratuslocated in a casing'lai and alter the starch has been dried, or heated to the desired degree, it is deposited in the path of return travel or? buckets-z1 and the latter carr the conditionedfstarch .over .screen tto. iifl the trays in the customary manner. I

'lhefcasingy w, is superimposed on the cas-` ing Z and extends beyond' one end of casing @and downwardly to the Hoor line'toprovide vertical channels y' and e in which the buckets.. r travel upwardly and downwardly, respectively. A partition liO-isepaiatesthe channels #yf and zand providesv a guidingI surface'l for the buckets inl *then` upward travel. A wearing. plate ll ofl sheet metal covers partition l0: and at its. upper endy `is bent at right angles to form a horizontal partition llf"-wh-ich. extends nearly tothe opposite end of casing The starch: carried upwardly buckets fr?. is dragged along partition. 11 until it reachesV the remote end thereof,

-where it falls upon a similar underlying partition. l2 which extends liromr the last named vendvot casing part way'along the casing.- Tlie starch is `carried along);` parttion 12` by the buckets. r until it falls Vupon the uppermost vpartition 13' of the drying or heatingappar-atus. f f

Thedrying, apparatus consists of a series ot vertically spaced Vand"horizontally disposedi partitions 123- and 14 whichV extendv entirely across casing. 00 as. do the described partitions 1:1 and 112,.'asv shown in Fig.` 6; These partitions are suitably supported from pairs'ot plates 1'5. which form inner vertical side-walls. for the central portion otcasing a', which walls arespaced from the outer walls. leaving aindspaces 16 forthe purpose of insu-lation.` The-partitions 13l and Mare disposed in alternation. TheV partitions V13 arelrallI secured at one end' to` a vertical partimeans to the drying means, said starch conveying means returning downwardly and thence over and across the tray conveying means at said tray lling position, and a second starch conveying means to take starch elevated by the rst starch conveying means and carry it through said drying means and then `deliver it into the path of return travel of the rst'starch conveying' means, whereby the dried starch is carried over an empty tray and delivered therein.

In testimony-whereof I have aixed my signature,

ALONZO LINTON BAUSMAN. 

